my doctor said i had hep c upon further test he said i had been exposed and fought it off. i had intercourse he said with my girl friend and told her that i had it but could not spread it. she looked it up and said i was still a carrier and still can give it to her i am so confused please help

Response from Dr. Taylor

You cannot pass hepatitis C to another person if you do not have the hepatitis C virus.

There are several different types of viral hepatitis, including A, B, C, D and E. These are distinct types of infections, and we catch them, may be protected against them, and may be treated for them in different ways. The term, 'carrier,' is an old term used to refer to a type of hepatitis B infection. There is no 'carrier,' with hepatitis C. We either have hepatitis C infection, or not. If we do have hepatitis C infection, it can be a new infection that our body is trying to fight off, sometime called an, acute,' infection, or a chronic infection, meaning that the hepatitis C virus is being made in our liver cells and is there permanently unless we receive treatment that leads to cure. It sounds as though your hepatitis C antibody test is positive but your viral test, HCV RNA by PCR, is negative. If this is the case you do not have hepatitis C infection at all and cannot pass it to anyone.

Hepatitis C is not typically spread by intercourse in which a penis enters a vagina, which some people call heterosexual intercourse. Hepatitis C is spread when the blood from person who has hepatitis C gets into the body of another person. In terms of sexual spread of hepatitis C, this may occur with sexual activities involving blood, such as anal intercourse (anal sex), when the penis enters the anus (butt). To date most cases of sexual spread of hepatitis C are occurring among HIV-infected men who have sex with men, who have anal sex without a condom.

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